


The day Aloha became small

by RandomOtakuGirl



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Army is basically the mom, Gen, Kid!Aloha, Mask is a deep sleeper, and Skull is the cool big brother, i do want to thank romanoeggbiscuits for the tag, i'll update the tags later on to avoid spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2019-07-05 08:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15859542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomOtakuGirl/pseuds/RandomOtakuGirl
Summary: It was suppose to be a normal S4 meeting, that is until Aloha didn't show up. Wondering where he is and why he's late, the other three members decided to go to his house, half angry and upset. What they didn't expect would change their week.





	1. Finding him

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was inspired by an artwork on pixiv.

A soft breeze blew by as three inklings sat around a table quietly waiting. One of them tapped his fingers impatiently on the table looking at the other two, which one was engross with whatever was on his phone while the other quickly ate his third parfait. “Where is he?! He’s thirty minutes late now!” Army exclaimed, clearly angry, startling the other two. “Haaa~ Maybe he overslept or something,” Mask replied, keeping his eyes on his phone screen, shrugging, “does it even matter if he’s here or not?” Army stood up from his seat, slamming his hands on the table, clearing angry. “Yes it does, Mask! It can’t be the S4 meeting if there’s only three of us!” Mask huffed, looking away from his screen, “Haa~? Well then-“.

“Why don’t we visit him then? He probably has a reason why he’s late”, Skull interrupted Mask as he finished the parfait he was eating, “better than waiting all night.” Army and Mask quietly agreed, as the three inklings got up from the table and walk to the train station, waiting for the train to head towards Aloha’s home.

An hour passed by, as the three of them walked towards the front door of Aloha’s house. “I’m still glad he doesn’t live at the resort”, Army sighed, as he knocked on the door. A few minutes passed by as no one answered, making the three more agitated than usual. “What’s taking him so long to answer the door?!” Army exclaimed, knocking on the door again, but much louder. “Maybe something came up for him”, Mask said, shrugging a bit, “let’s just leave already.” Before anyone of them could leave, Skull decided to try the door knob, surprised it was unlocked. “Its not locked”, Skull opened the door gently, as the three of them head inside, closing the door behind them.

“Aloha! Are you here?” Army called out, hoping he could get an answer. “Haaa, it’s strange for him to keep his door unlock,” Mask said, scanning the room they were in. It wasn’t the first time the three been to Aloha’s place, however, he rarely invites them over. The three of them quietly wondered why Aloha’s door was unlocked and wondered where he was, until a small voice spoke behind them.

“Uwaaa~ Someone’s here, so many too~!”

The three of them turned to the voice, shocked on what they saw. “Aloha?!” All three of them exclaimed, looking at the child in front of them. “They also know my name! How scary!” Aloha said with a bright smile on his face, looking up at the three innocently. Aloha tilted his head, curious about the three, while Army reached into one of his pockets, pulling out his manual. He started to flip through the pages, hoping he could find anything. “I-I can’t find anything about this”, Army told the other two, still flipping through the pages, “I wonder what this is.” Mask, who glanced at Aloha and back to Army muttered something under his breath before replying, “There must be something, Army. There’s no way Aloha could turn into a child like this.” Army, who was rereading all his writings, looked at Aloha, who look back curiously and confused. “It doesn’t seem he has any memories. I mean, he didn’t even call our names. He was surprised by us being here”, Army replied, closing his manual after finding nothing.

“It looks like he kept his looks though”, Skull added, watching Aloha. “That’s pretty scary, it’s like he turned chibi or something”, Mask replied to Skull, not sure what to do. They wanted to know what happened and what caused Aloha to become small, until Aloha spoke up. 

“Um~ Is it okay to have pudding?”

“Pudding sounds nice”, Skull smiled behind his Skull Mask, wanting some pudding. “Eh?”, both Army and Mask looked at each other before Army sighed, “Fine, we’ll get some pudding, but we also need to make sure no one else finds out about this. A-And to reintroduce ourselves as well”’, Army said, before looking at Aloha, “you do know who we are right?” Aloha looked at Army, then towards the other two before shaking his head no. “Right then. I’m Army, and over there is Mask and Skull”, Army cleared his throat, turning to both Mask and Skull,”you two stay here and at least make sure he doesn’t do anything dangerous. Who’ll know what would happen to him if he’s alone by himself”, Army added, heading towards to the front door.

“And where are you going, Army”, Mask asked, already getting annoyed by the presence of Aloha. “I’m going to go ahead and buy some pudding.”

“Yay~! Thank you very much Army~” Aloha smiled cheerfully, his eyes sparkling which Mask rolled his eyes at, getting more annoyed. Once Army left, the house went silent as Aloha look between the two. “Skull~”, Aloha looked up at Skull, smiling, which Skull nodded in reply. Looking towards Mask, Aloha called out his name as Mask only replied with a sigh. “Ugh, do I really have to stay here? Can’t I just leave already?” Skull glanced towards Mask, wondering what he should say, before Alola piped up. “But Mask! Army is coming back with pudding! Y-you can’t miss out pudding!” Mask quickly glared at Aloha’s small form before muttering something under his breath, heading towards the couch before plopping down, going on his squidphone. 

A few minutes passed by before Army returned, locking the door behind him. “I really wasn’t sure where they had pudding stocked, but I’ve found them,” Army said, taking the pudding cups he brought and put them on the table. Aloha went over towards the table, trying to reach for one of them, before Army helped, getting a smile in return. He quickly noticed Skull took one of the cups, before sighing. “And you had three parfaits too. Don’t eat these last two please”, Army said before clearing his throat, catching both Mask’s and Skull’s attention.

“So what do we do now?”


	2. Rider finds out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might add new characters every chapter

Crickets were chirping outside as the sun was setting, Army noticed Aloha was slowly nodding off on the chair, causing the other to sigh. ‘ _ It is getting late’  _ Army thought to himself, wondering what he should do. He knew he couldn’t leave Aloha by himself, due to him being a child, but all three of them couldn’t stay here at the same time. He tried thinking what he could do until an idea came to mind. Clearing his throat, he caught the other two’s attention. “Now, we know we have to keep this a secret from everyone, but seeing how late it’s getting, we can’t leave him by himself” Army said, crossing his arms.

“Then what do you want us to do?” Mask asked, getting a bit annoyed and tired. “I thought we could take turns watching him during the night, then regroup back here in the morning” Army suggested, catching both inklings attention. “You mean one of us stays over for the night and the next morning we have to come back here?” Mask asked as Army nodded. “That is correct Mask” Army replied, looking back to Aloha who fallen asleep. “That’s a ba-“

“I don’t mind that idea”, Skull replied, interrupting  Mask,”who’s staying over first?” It went quiet for a moment before Army spoke up, “I’ll be staying first. We still have no idea how this happened, and I’ll like to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself in any ways” Army replied.  _ ‘Why don’t you say you don’t trust us’ _ Mask thought to himself as he and Skull left Aloha’s house, promising they’ll come over tomorrow. Army sighed, before turning back to Aloha, gently him up. Aloha stirred a bit, rubbing his eyes before looking at Army. “Mm?” Aloha mumbled before looking around. “Mask and Skull left home, but they’ll be back tomorrow” Army explained, as he put Aloha down, “are you still tired?” 

Aloha nodded as he wandered off to the hallway entering a room with Army following behind. Army wondered where Aloha was going, that is until he recognized the room. ‘ _ So he knows his room’ _ Army thought to himself, watching Aloha taking off his shoes before climbing on the bed. “Get some rest then, I’ll be in the other room”, Army said, remembering Aloha did have a guest room right across. “Okay~ Night Army~!” Aloha smiled before huddling into the covers, falling back to sleep. Army sighed as he left the room, going to the guest room. He walk to the bed before sitting down thinking about today’s events. ‘ _ What If Aloha stays like this?’ _ Army thought to himself before taking out his manual. It was still strange to him, as he never seen this happen before. Putting his manual away, he took off his beret and parka, putting on the chair before taking off his shoes. Lying on the bed, Army decided to get some rest.

The next morning, Army woke up before the sunrise, rubbing his eyes a bit. Getting up, the first thing he did was check on Aloha. He quietly entered Aloha’s room, seeing Aloha was still the same.  _ ‘He’s still a child. He hasn’t return to normal’   _ Army thought to himself before leaving the room. He let Aloha sleep as he walk to the kitchen. Maybe he could make breakfast? Looking around in Aloha’s kitchen, Army noticed the lack of food the other had.  _ ‘Don’t tell me he still only eats rice balls and instant noodles’   _ Army thought before finding a few ingredients to make pancakes. ‘ _ It’s not like I hadn’t made pancakes before’ _ Army quietly look for a mixing bowl and a pan before he started cooking.

He started to mix the ingredients together to make the pancake batter, finding it a bit difficult. ‘ _ It’s almost like baking _ ’ Army thought as he still mixed the batter. Once he was done, he turned on the burner for the stove and pour some of the batter into the pan. While he was carefully watching the pancakes, Aloha quietly walked over, looking up at Army. “Army? Whatca doin’? 

Army jumped a bit, taking a small at Aloha, who was looking back with big eyes. “I’m making pancakes”, Army replied as Aloha’s eyes widen, a cheerful smile appearing on his face. “Rweally~? Yay!” Aloha replied, Army smiling a bit. He finished making the pancakes while Aloha sat on the chair, waiting and humming. Army put two plates down filled with two pancakes as Aloha smiled. “Thank you Army~!” Aloha said, before he started eating his pancakes. Army begin to eat his, wondering what time the other two were coming over. He quickly glanced towards the clock seeing it was almost 8.  _ ‘I guess we wait for them'. _

Two hours passed by as Aloha look at the manual Army was writing in. He was curious what Army was writing, trying to take a peek without getting caught. Army took notice, wondering what the other was trying to do. “What are you doing, Aloha?” Army asked catching the child’s attention. “Whatcha doin’ Army?” Aloha asked as Army continued writing. “What happened yesterday still doesn’t make any sense, so I’m writing it down” Army explained getting a small ‘oh’ from the other. A few minutes pass as a knock was heard, Army getting up to answer the door. “Took you two long enough”.

“Weeeell exuuuuuse mee, none of us get up eaaarly like yooou!” Mask crossed his arms, annoyed he’s back here. With both Skull and Mask entering Aloha’s house, Army closed the door as Aloha quickly ran over. “Mask~!” Aloha smiled getting a small ‘tch’ from Mask. “Skull~!” Aloha said, receiving a small nod. The two squids look at Aloha before turning to Army. “He’s stiiiill the saaame?” Mask asked getting a small nod from Army. All three of them wondered what they could do before another knock was heard. “Who could that be?” Army said, opening the door again, seeing Rider. 

“I thought it was strange see Mask and Skull walking here. This a new meeting place or something?” Rider asked, getting different reactions from all three. What confused him, however, was the lack of a rather loud flirtatious squid. “Hey, where is he? It’s a bit weird seeing you three at his place you know. Where’s Aloha?”

“Who are you?” Aloha asked, all eyes on him. Rider stared at the child in front of him before looking at the other three. “Is this some kind of joke you four are playing? It’s not funny”, Rider said, picking up Aloha. “I wiiiiish it was a jooooke”, Mask replied, sighing, “but that is Aloha”.

_ ‘No way. There’s no way this kid is Aloha!’ _ Rider thought, looking at Aloha who’s face started to change. His eyes became watery, surprising Rider, as he started to squirm. “Let me gooo! Let me goo!” Aloha cried out as Rider put him down, watching Aloha hide behind Skull, refusing to look at Rider. “We have a lot of explaining to do”.

Aloha sat next to Skull, both eating some pudding while Army explained what’s going on to Rider. “And you three still don’t know how this happened”, Rider said glancing towards Aloha. Aloha noticed this, hiding again behind Skull, catching everyone’s attention. “It seems he doesn’t like you Riiiider” Mask spoke, looking away from his phone snickering a bit. Rider made a small ‘tch’. “So? I don’t care if he does or not!” Rider yelled, causing Aloha to hide more. “Yelling when a chiiiild is preeeesent! Fooor shame Rider” Mask said earning glares from the others. “You’re the one to talk, Mask. You don’t even let him get near you,” Army replied as Mask huff at his comment. “I still doooon’t like Aloha.”

“Mask~?” Aloha walk up to Mask, who simply ignored him. “He wants your attention, you know” Skull said, going back to eat his pudding. “Uuugh why?” Mask replied, putting his head on the table. He felt small pats on his back, but he ignored it as Rider got up from his seat. “ Better get going, guess good luck on Aloha” Rider said as he left the house, leaving the three to themselves to care for the kid. “Guess I should start making lunch.”

Army was surprised when he found some ingredients to make curry. ‘ _ Guess he did try to cook’ _ Army thought to himself as he got all the ingredients together. While he was boiling the curry, Skull walked in seeing what he was doing. “Did you buy ingredients?” He asked as Army shook his head. “It seems Aloha tried making curry”, Army replied, stirring the curry. “It’s almost done, so don’t worry”, Army added as Skull left the kitchen. ‘ _ Though I wonder if Aloha would ever return to normal’ _

“It’s still good as always Army,” Skull said as all four inklings ate. “It’s yummy~” Aloha added, happily eating. Mask quietly are his, engross with his phone. He really hoped nothing could ruin his day. He felt a tap on his shoulder, breaking his attention from his phone. “Whaaat is it?”

“It’s your turn to watch him” Army said, getting an annoyed expression from Mask. 

“Seriously?”


	3. Mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lousy chapter title, but it does deal with Mask. Next chapter; there's going to be a new character and someone escaping.

If anyone asked what was the worst day Mask ever had, he’ll say it was today. He loathe Aloha, and his hate never changed when Aloha turned into a child. Hearing it was his turn to watch him left a bad taste in his mouth, especially since both Army and Skull left. Army told him he needed to go to Mako Mart and to go home, taking Skull with him, leaving Mask alone with Aloha. “Mask~?” He heard a small voice, glaring at the child before him, who look back curiously. He didn’t need to watch Aloha, did he? Getting up from the couch, Mask headed to the front door, hearing Aloha’s small voice behind him. “Mask~? Army says-“ Mask didn’t hear what the other said as he left the house, slamming the door behind him.

The first thing Mask did was visit the closest convenience store, looking for some snacks before taking the train back home. Picking up one of the bag of chips, he couldn’t help but to overhear two older inklings conversation.

“ _ Did you hear what happened?”  _ The inkling on the left said, as the right nodded. “ _ Yeah. The poor child is still in the hospital, right?”  _ The right inkling said, sighing. “ _ Yes, and their parents are still blaming themselves for leaving them alone for a while”. _

Mask almost dropped the chips he was holding, as the two inklings started to leave. He started to think about Aloha, before shaking his head.  _ ‘I don’t care about him!’ _ Mask thought to himself, going to the counter to pay for the chips. He started to head towards the train station to head home before the thoughts of Aloha hurting himself came back to his mind, stopping him in his tracks.  _ ‘What if he hurt himself? Army and Skull wouldn’t forgive me and-‘ _ . The worst thoughts came to mind, as he turned and quickly ran back to Aloha’s house. Stopping at the front door to catch his breath, he slowly opened the door, fear for the other. What he saw stopped him.

Aloha rubbed his eyes, sleepily looking who was at the front door. His eyes widen as he quickly got up, happy seeing who was at the door. “Mask~! You’re baack~”, Aloha smiled cheerfully as Mask sighed. He was glad Aloha wasn’t hurt or anything, as he closed the door behind him, Aloha skipped towards him tilting his head. “I’m staying”, Mask told him, as Aloha’s eyes shined, smiling cheerfully. “Yaaay~!” Aloha cheered as Mask sighed, picking up the child. Aloha had a look of confusion, as Mask sat him down on the couch.  _ ‘Well I suppose I should watch him.’  _ Mask thought to himself, sitting next to Aloha. He went on his squidphone for a while, as Aloha looked around the living room. A few minutes passed by as Mask decided to test something, taking off his Gas Mask and breathe in. He had a look of surprise on his face, noticing his hay fever wasn’t acting up.  _ ‘Figures’ _ Mask thought to himself, going back to his squidphone.

A few minutes later Aloha started to feel cold as he scooted closer to Mask, catching his attention. “Mask! Can I get a hug?” Mask turned to him, confused. “Haaaaa~? Why should I hug you?” Mask asked as Aloha look at him. “I’m cold!” Mask was baffled at the other’s reply. “Why would I-“. Before Mask could finish his sentence, Aloha repeated himself, a bit louder. “Haaaa~?” Mask replied, before sighing, picking up the child bringing him to a hug. “Are you satisfied now, Aloha?” Mask asked as Aloha smiled more. “Mask is warm!” 

Mask couldn’t help but have a small smile on his face. “Is that so?” Mask asked, looking at the ceiling.  _ ‘Why is he so precious?!’  _ Mask thought to himself as he started to wonder why the other went quiet. Looking down, he noticed Aloha had fallen asleep.  _ ‘The one thing I didn’t want to happen’ _ Mask thought to himself, not wanting to wake up the other. He knew his body temperature was different than the others, his being warmer than normal. Mask sighed, knowing he couldn’t really move without waking the other, so he decided to sleep as well. 

A few hours passed by as Mask heard the front door open, waking him up. “Mask! Aloha! We’re back!” Mask stretched, noticing Aloha wasn’t near him. “Skull~!” He heard him say, watching Aloha skipping towards Skull. Mask could tell Skull was smiling a bit under his Skull Bandana, as Aloha smiled cheerful when his head was pat by the other. Getting up from the couch, Mask look over towards Army, seeing the bags he was holding. “What did you even do?” Mask asked, pointing towards the bags. “I went home to wash up and brought Skull with me to pick up some groceries at Mako Mart,” Army replied, putting the bags down, “I’m sure you two wouldn’t want to eat curry everyday.” 

“Haaaa? Did you really have to buy this much?” Mask asked, getting up from the couch. “We don’t know if Aloha will ever turn back to normal Mask, so it’s better to be prepared”, Army replied, as he started to put everything away. Aloha curiously watched Army, tilting his head as Army put the last thing on the shelf. “Army? Are you stayin’ again?” Aloha asked, as Army shook his head. “Mask is staying tonight with you”, Army replied, as he wondered what to make for both lunch and dinner. He knew he couldn’t make anything with vegetables due to Skull’s dislike for them, and he wasn’t sure if Aloha was the same way as a child. Maybe he could make cream stew?  _ ‘Sorry Skull, but you would need to eat your vegetables’ _ Army thought to himself, putting on his apron he took with him and started cooking. He really hoped nothing could go wrong, and hope Mask would stay over tonight as well. ‘ _ Maybe we could find out what happen soon too. I’ll need to continue to write this in my manuals.’ _


	4. He's missing?!

Cream stew was simmering in the pot as Army look at the time. It was almost time for dinner as he finished up stirring the stew, wondering if Aloha would be alright with Mask. Army wasn’t sure if Mask would do what he says, watching Aloha until both he and Skull come tomorrow, but he should put some trust in him. As he turned off the stove top, Aloha came in looking up at Army curiously. “Are we having cream stew again~?” Aloha asked as Army looked at him, nodding. “We are.” Aloha made a small giggle, smiling,”Skull made a funny face when he first ate it!” Army smiled at the child, nodding. “Indeed he did”, Army replied, seeing Skull’s expression when he heard he had to eat his vegetables. “Skull and I are leaving after dinner Aloha”, Army said, catching the child’s attention. “Awwww” Aloha pouted, as Army sighed, patting Aloha’s head. “We’ll be back tomorrow morning, okay?”

 

“Ah, okay~!” Aloha cheered up as Army started setting up for dinner. Skull and Mask entered the dining room as Aloha sat on the chair, ready to eat. “Really? Cream Stew again?”, Mask sighed, as he sat down, not caring about it anymore. Skull on the other hand, wished he didn’t eat cream stew again. Sitting down, Aloha look at him curiously, as Skull looked back before patting his head getting a cheerful smile in return. Once everyone sat down, they started eating with Aloha occasionally giggling at Skull’s expressions.

 

Night fell, as both Army and Skull already left home, Mask didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even know where Aloha went before finding him in what he believed to be his bedroom.  _ ‘I never once seen his bedroom’ _ Mask thought to himself, resisting the urge to see what embarrassing things Aloha may hid. His thoughts were cut off when he heard a small “G’night Masky~” from the child, before sighing.  _ ‘Aloha is already going to bed? Wait, did he just called me Masky?! Ugh never mind. Sleep is for the weak anyways’ _ Mask thought before going to a spare bedroom. Putting his Gas Mask on the nightstand, Mask wondered what he could do. Seeing it was only nine, he decided to play games on his phone all the way to four in the morning, sleep taking over.

 

Aloha rubbed his eyes, as sunlight peek through the curtains. Getting off the bed, he wandered into the kitchen, wondering if Army was there. Seeing he wasn’t, he went looking, stopping by the guest room noticing Mask was still sleeping. Walking over and climbing onto the bed with all his might, he started shaking Mask with his small hands. Mask~! Waaake uuup! Masky!” He pouted, trying to wake Mask up, but with no avail. Mask was still asleep as Aloha whimpered in his child state, deciding maybe he could find Army or Skull. Tumbling off the bed with a small ouch, Aloha got back up on his feet and headed to the front door, noticing it was locked. Trying to reach the front lock on his tiptoes, Aloha’s face pouted more noticing he couldn’t reach the lock. Going to the dining room, Aloha dragged a chair all the way to the front door, climbing on the seat to unlock the door. Jumping off the chair, Aloha opened the front door, looking outside before heading out closing the door behind him.

 

Mask woke to the sound of his squidphone blaring. Rubbing his eyes, he check it, seeing a text from Army. ‘ _ We’ll be there in ten minutes’  _ Mask read before sigh, getting up. ‘ _ Better get Aloha up then’ _ Mask thought as he head towards Aloha’s room. “It’s time for you to get-“ Mask stopped, noticing Aloha wasn’t even on the bed. Looking everywhere in the room, Mask sighed seeing Aloha wasn’t even in the room. ‘ _ Maybe he’s in the kitchen already? _ ” Mask thought as he head towards the kitchen, noticing Aloha wasn’t there either. He then check in the living room and bathroom, but Aloha was nowhere to be seen.  _ ‘Did I seriously lose him?! _ ’ Mask started to panic, knowing what would happen if either Army or Skull found out. He quickly went back to the guest room to put on his Gas Mask as a knock was heard on the door. ‘ _ Oh no’  _ Mask sighed, accepting his fate as he went to open the front door. 

 

“Took you long enough”, Army said and both he and Skull entered the house. Army noticed a lack of noise before turning to face Mask. “Where’s Aloha, Mask?” Mask look away, before replying,”I think I lost him”.

 

“YOU WHAT?!” Army yelled, clearly angry at Mask. “You know he’s a child now, and you said you lost him! What were you even doing!” Mask moved back a bit, annoyed at Army. “Weeeell, yooour the one who decided to make me stay!” Mask yelled back, as the two begin to yell at each other. Skull, on the other hand, stayed quiet as he noticed a chair by the door. “Both of you quiet! Look.” Skull spoke, making Army and Mask stop arguing and looking where he was pointing at. “D-Did he went outside?!” Army panicked, seeing one of the dining chairs by the front door. All three of them looked at each other before running out to quickly find Aloha.

  
Aloha looked around his surroundings, feeling afraid. He didn’t know where he was or where the others were. He started sniffing a bit, before a shadow loomed over him. Looking up, he knew who they were. “Aren’t you Aloha?” Rider said, looking at the child of front of him before Aloha started sniffing more. Rider really didn’t want the other to cry, as he asked, “Did you get lost?” He got a nod from other.  _ ‘At least he’s not crying...yet’  _ Rider thought, wondering if Aloha does cry or not. Aloha still sniffed as he rubbed his eyes, Rider sighed. “Hey. You want to go to the park around here?”


	5. Safari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS BEEN FOREVER! I’m sorry for how long this took, and hopefully the next chapter won’t take as long

Aloha was laughing, running around the park as Rider sat on a nearby bench. He just texted Army about Aloha, who texted back they’ll be there. ‘ _And they seriously lost a kid_ ’ Rider rolled his eyes as Aloha started playing on the slide, giggling. ‘ _Can they seriously hurry up already!_ ’ Rider crossed his arms, hoping they’ll be here soon. A few moments passed until Rider felt a tug on his jacket. Looking down, he noticed it was Aloha, looking up at him and pointing somewhere. “Who’s that?” Rider looked up, noticing Safari Hat walking through the park just as the rest of the S4 came through the other side. “There you are Aloha!” Army exclaimed, running to the child who seemed happy seeing him. “Army! Masky! Skull!” Aloha smiled, waving his hands excitedly. As the group made it to Aloha, Army looked down with an angry expression. “Why did you leave the house Aloha?” Army asked in his strict voice, causing the other to tear up a bit. “I-I’m sorry! I..I didn’t mean too-“ Aloha was stop mid sentence as Skull pat his head.

“It’s fine Army. He’s fine, isn’t he?” Skull replied as Army look flabbergasted at Skull. “What?! You ugh!” Army sighed frustratedly as Rider left, catching Aloha’s small wave and his goodbye. Just as Rider left, Aloha look towards the other side, asking the same question he did to Rider. All three look at each other before turning their heads to whoever Aloha was pointing at, catching their attention. “Isn’t thaaaat Safari Haaat?” Mask asked as Safari paled, looking around the area once he of three members of the S4. Not seeing Aloha, he walked over to the group, confused. “U-Um hey… Isn’t Aloha supposed to be with you three?”  
Safari asked, getting confused looks. “He’s riiiiight here” Mask grumbled, pointing at the child in front of him.

Safari look down towards Aloha, who look back at him confused and curious. Who was he? Safari picked up Aloha, getting rather confused looks from others who knew Safari didn’t like being around Aloha. Before anyone could say anything, Safari ran away from the other three, carrying Aloha with him. A few minutes passed before Safari stop by a nearby store catching his breath. Aloha, on the other hand, didn’t know where he was nor where the others were. His body began to shake, tears rolling down his cheeks as he started to cry. Safari, getting startled by the other’s cry, tried calm down the child but with no avail.

“H-Hey, Aloha?! Stop crying, please?” Safari asked, not knowing how to stop the other from crying. He tried making funny faces, only to make the other cry even more. “There he is!” Safari heard out in the distance as he paled, knowing full well what he got himself into.

While Army was yelling at Safari for taking Aloha, Mask and Skull tried to calm Aloha, but nothing seems to help. He kept crying, his small hands balled into a fist covering his eyes. “Whaaat are we gooooing to do? He wooooon’t stop crying!” Mask sighed as Skull picked up Aloha, feeling his small hands grabbing his shoulders once he brought him closer. Aloha started to calm down, his sobs slowly turning to small sniffles, never letting his grip on Skull go. “Are you okay, Aloha?” Skull asked, getting a small ‘mmhm’ from Aloha. Safari left quickly as soon as Army was finished lecturing him, before turning to Aloha. “Even as a child you give headaches. Shall we return home?” Army asked getting a small nod as Skull put him down, Aloha not letting go of his hand.

An hour passed by as Army started making lunch, Aloha hanging around Mask and Skull, back to his cheerful self. “Masky is a deep sleeper!” Aloha laughed getting a glare from the other. “Am nooooot! And stooop calling me Masky!” Mask replied, crossing his arms. “But Masky didn’t wake up when I went to the room! Masky is a deep sleeper then!” Aloha replied giggling. Mask paled a bit, not even knowing Aloha tried to wake him up this morning. However, he did noticed the look Skull was giving him. “Whaaaat is it?!” Mask asked angrily, and before Skull could say anything, Army came into the living room, a ladle in his hand.

“I really can’t trust either of you, can I?” Army said, catching the attention of the three. “Whaaat are you talking about?” Mask asked, annoyed. “I’m saying I’ll be staying the night again. You two can-“

“Nooo!” Aloha pouted, his eyes tearing up. “I don’t want them to go!”

“Aloha, we all can’t-“ before Army could finish his sentence, he was cut off by Skull. “Maybe we can? There seems to be enough room” Skull said, before look at Mask. “I guessss” Mask replied before Aloha cheered, bouncing a bit. “Alright, we all stay for the night then. Though we have to pack clothes you know! Aloha’s been acting spoiled and knowing him, he probably would want us to stay for another night.”


	6. Finding the reason

Day turned into night as Aloha was fast sleep in his room. The other three were in the dining room, sitting down to have a small meeting. “It’s been almost three days since we found Aloha like this, yet there’s no explanation. How on earth did this happened?” Army spoke as the others stayed quiet, thinking. “Maybe soooooomeone cursed hiiiim?” Mask suggested as Army gave him an unimpressed look. “Whaaaaat? It coooould happen!”

 

“Not everything is anime Mask! Anime is not real!” Army replied, getting a rather disapproval look from Mask. “Anime is real-“ Mask was cut off by Skull, who finished a pudding cup. “Could he have wished it? Aren’t wishes real?” Army was a bit shock hearing this, “I’m not...sure? I don’t have anything like this written down in any of my manuals or notes.” Army said, taking out one of his notebooks from his pocket, “I’ve been writing down everything since day one, but what if he doesn’t turn back to normal? What would we do?” The other two stayed quiet, wondering the same thing. “Leeeeet’s just wait and see what’ll happen in the next few days”, Mask suggested as the other two agreed, wondering the same thing.

 

Two days passed by, Aloha was doodling on some paper Army had given him in the living room. Skull was quietly watching him while Army and Mask went out, Army getting groceries while Mask went to the convenience store for a snack. ‘I wonder why he’s not back to normal’ Skull thought to himself, still confused by the whole thing. He started to wonder before Aloha came up to him, showing the picture he drew. “Skull~ Looky! Looky~!” Aloha smiled while Skull turned to see the drawing, noticing it was..all four of them? He noticed the colors orange, pink, cyan and purple. “Is this all of us Aloha?” Skull asked as Aloha nodded. “Uh-huh~!” A small smile was on Skull’s lips as he patted Aloha’s head, getting a cheerful smile in return. The door opening brought their attention as they saw Army and Mask coming in, holding bags.

 

“Uuuuuugh. I just wanted to get chips, not help you with thiiiis” Mask grumbled, placing the bags on the counter sighing. “What’s wrong with helping Mask? We are staying here until Aloha’s back to normal, so you’ll have to deal with it” Army replied, putting all the groceries away. Mask was about to walk to the couch until someone knocked on the door.  _ ‘Reaaaaally?!’  _ Mask grumbled as he went to open the door.

 

Mask had a look of surprise seeing who was at the door before he glared, causing the inkling in front of him to squirm. “Whaaaat are  _ you _ doing here, Safaaaari” Mask demanded, causing Aloha to stop what he was doing. “I-I came to apologize to Aloha for scaring him! I didn’t mean to take him away!” Safari replied as the other let him in, Aloha already getting scared seeing who it was. “Safari came to apologize to Alo-“ 

 

“No! Masky!” Aloha cried out, hiding behind Mask. “Army’s right. Yooou are getting spoiled..fooor attention” Mask sighed picking Aloha, who automatically grabbed onto his shoulders. “Aloha! I came to apologize!” Safari replied, as Aloha shook his head no. “Noooo!” Aloha buried his face into Mask’s shoulder, refusing to look at Safari. ‘ _ Did I scare him that bad?’ _ Safari thought, feeling awful about it. “Aloha-“

 

“Safari, why don’t we talk over here?” Army spoke up, seeing Mask having a bit of trouble with Aloha. Safari compiled, Mask leaving to another room with Aloha, sitting on one of the chairs. “I really am sorry-“

 

“We know, Safari. However Aloha is different right now and since he’s a child, he believes you’ll probably do the same thing again” Army said, putting his pen down, “if he turns back to normal, he might not remember this at all, but if he stays like this then give it sometime.” Safari nodded at Army’s response, though the question everyone wanted to know remains. “How did he turn like this?”

 

“We don’t know” Skull answered, the others quietly thinking. They were about to dismissed it, until Safari spoke up. “A few days ago on the news, they said there were a chance for a few shooting stars to appear.” Safari jolted a bit when the two got up so quickly. “Skull, didn’t you say before that Aloha could have wished it?” Army said, as Skull gave a confused look. “I think so?” Skull replied as Army asked Safari to leave, which he gladly did. “Let’s go get them.”

 

Mask sighed tiredly, as he calmed Aloha who had tears in his eyes. “It’s okaaaaaay Aloha. He’s nooot coming in here.” Mask reassured him, as the child shook his head in fear.  _ ‘Is it really that bad?”  _ Mask asked himself, picking up Aloha again. “Yooooou were never liiiiike this” Mask said, getting a confused look from the other. “What do you mean Masky?” Well shoot.  _ ‘Of course he doesn’t remember his old self. That’s why he didn't knew who we are when we found him. The question remains is how.’  _ Mask thought, setting Aloha down next to him. “Noooothing. Don’t wooorry about it” Mask replied, getting a small okay from the other. He actually didn’t know what to do as Aloha started to pull on his sleeve. “Whaaat?”

 

“I’m bored Masky” Aloha replies, swinging his legs on the bed. “Whaaat do you waaant me to doo?” Mask grumbled, Aloha gleaming. “Let’s play hide n seek~! Let’s play!” Aloha said, climbing down the bed, “You’re it!” Mask rolled his eyes as he sighed. “Fiiiiine” Mask said as he closed his eyes, counting. “1..2..3..” Mask sighed as he heard shuffling, “7...8..9..10. Ready oooor not, here I cooome or whatever.” Mask slowly got up and started looking. He knew Aloha wouldn’t leave the room, so that would leave him staying here. “Wheeere are yooou?” Mask said, looking around some more. Hearing a bit of shuffling, he look under the bed. “Foooound you” Mask said as Aloha climb out from under the bed. “Awwww” Aloha pouted as Mask shrugged. “Nooot my fault you’re baaad.”

 

“Don’t be mean Masky!” Aloha pouted, getting a small snort from the masked inkling just as Army and Skull entered the room. “Is Safari gone?” Mask asked, getting an reaction from Aloha. “Yes, he left a few minutes ago, but we have a clue on why Aloha became a child.” Army replied, getting Mask’s interest. “Why?”

 

“He might have wished it.”


	7. Playground

Army was boiling curry in a pot, trying a new idea for dinner. Aloha has asked for curry rather than cream stew, much to Skull’s surprise, as he eyed the can of pineapples on the counter. “Are you going to add pineapples?” Skull asked as Army nodded, cutting the pineapple and adding it to the pot of curry. “I figure Aloha may like this. After all, he did when he was our age” Army replied, Skull understanding. Aloha really loved pineapples, especially whenever it was summer. It always surprised Army, ever since he heard the other didn’t like coconuts that much. The curry was about finished, as Army called out to everyone. “Dinner is ready!”

Everyone was sitting at the table, eating dinner, Aloha cheerfully eating and humming between bites.“Mmm~ This is yummy Army~!” Aloha smiles eating another spoonful of curry, “It’s so sweet~!” Army smiled a bit, thankful Aloha liked it. “Hm! I’m glad you enjoy it” Army proudly said, before Mask questioned him. “Didn’t yoooooou try maaaaking this a moooonth ago? But yoooou kept faaaailing on-OW” Mask hissed in pain after Army kicked him in the legs. “Whaaaat was thaaat fooor!” Mask grumbled as he rubbed his legs. He got no reply as he rolled his eyes as the four continued to eat, Aloha smiling happily.

Aloha was lying on the floor, back to drawing as the other three stayed nearby, sitting by the table. “So what are we going to do now?” Army asked as the other two thought about it. “A week almost passed by, yet he still-“

“We know Army.” Skull replied, watching Aloha drawing, “but now the question is why was this his wish.” Mask rolled his eyes as he slump his head on the table. “Sooooo much for being cuuuursed” Mask complained, getting odd looks from the other two. “Whaaaat.” Mask rolled his eyes, getting an annoyed sigh. “Mask not everything is anime!” Mask got up from his seat, even more annoyed. “Well excuuuuuuuuse me-“

“Skull? Why are Masky and Army fighting?” Aloha came up, confused as he held on to his latest drawing. “It’s nothing Aloha” Skull replied, patting the child’s head, getting a smile in return. “Oh~ Lookie what I drew~!” Aloha said, holding up his drawing. All three look at it, Mask scoffing. “I’ve seen bett-OW” Mask got up, glaring at Army who paid no attention to the cyan inkling, rather to the small child in front of him. “It’s a good drawing, Aloha.” Skull said just as Aloha tip toed to put the drawing in the table. “Rweally? Yay~!” Aloha cheered. Skull smiled as Aloha skipped back to the living room, going back to drawing. “Cooooood he’s a handfuuul” Mask sighed as the two gave him a look. “You’re the one who plays with him. You have no right to say that” Army replied, getting a small tsk from the cyan inkling. Just as the Skull was about to ask a question, Aloha came up to them with his own.

“Can we play~?” Aloha asked, surprising the three at the table. “Aloha it’s getting late and-“ Army couldn’t finished as Aloha puffed up his cheeks, his eyes tearing up. “B-But!” Aloha cried out, his lips trembling a bit. “Army. The park isn’t too far away” Skull said, getting up from his seat. “Yeaaaaah..maaaybe it’ll tire him oooout” Mask sighed, feeling tired already. Army sighed, agreeing as Aloha cheered, jumping up and down. “Hoooope the cops woooon’t questiooon us, seeing Alooooha with us” Mask grumbled as Aloha look at him confused. “What do you mean, Masky?” Aloha asked, tilting his head in confusion. “It’s straaange to see a kid plaaaay at night” Mask replied, getting a small oh from Aloha. “Alright then” Army sighed, rubbing his forehead, “lets just go then.” He said, causing Aloha to cheer.

The three of them stayed by Aloha as he ran around the playground, giggling happily. “Lookie! The stars! The stars- oof” Aloha tripped and fell, before getting back up on his feet. “You okay, Aloha?” Skull asked as Aloha nodded. “Mmhm~!” He replied, running towards the slide as the three sat down on a bench, watching him. “Hoooow long do yooooou think he’s gonna plaaaay” Mask asked, Army sighing. “Don’t know.” It went quiet just as Skull got up from the bench. “Wheeeere are yoooou going?” Mask asked as Skull begin to walk, leaving the two in silence. “Uuuugh!”

“Masky! Masky Masky Mask!” Aloha came running, grabbing Mask’s hand with his small hands, pulling him, “Swings! Let’s go on swings!” Aloha pulled Mask more, getting a confused look from the other. “HYUK?! Why?!” Mask asked. “I want to play with you! Pleeeeeease~?” Aloha asked, his eyes tearing up. “F-Fiiiiiine! I’ll gooo!” Mask said, defeated as the two went on the swings. Aloha started swinging as Mask slowly swing. The past few days as hectic, but at the same time it wasn’t as bad as he made it. Mask wouldn’t lie, but he wondered why Aloha wished he wanted to be a kid again. Not only that, but what would happen if he didn’t turn back to normal? A lot of questions went through his mind before a voice broke him out of it. “Masky? Is something wrong?” Aloha asked, looking up at him. “Noooo. Let’s gooo back Aloha, I think Skull is bringing something” Mask replied, quickly catching Aloha’s attention, as he got off and ran towards Skull. ‘ _Maybe he sees Skull as a big brother type_ ’ Mask thought as he got off the swings and headed back to the bench.

“I bought some pudding” Skull said as Aloha cheered. “Yay~!” Aloha smiled, grabbing the small spoon that came with the pudding cup once Skull hand him it. Skull handed two others to Mask and Army before getting his, the three eating the pudding together. “Ah~! Pudding is good!” Aloha smiled as Skull agreed. “Soooo thaaats where you went to” Mask said, who still haven’t ate his. Not like he can anyways. “Ah! Does Mask not like pudding?” Aloha asked as Mask quickly shook his head. “It’s nooot liiike thaaat!”

“Sorry Mask. I forgot” Skull replied as Aloha looked between them confusedly. “Ooh! Mask not like the outside!” Aloha said before Mask shrugged. “Soomethiing like thaaat.” After the pudding cups were finished, Aloha continued to play before he started to feel tired. Skull went on over and picked Aloha up, feeling his small hands hold on to his shoulders as the four made their way back to Aloha’s house.

Skull lay Aloha down on the bed, tucking him in before Aloha rubbed his eyes sleepily. “I’m not sleepy..” Skull smiled a bit before patting the other’s head, “We’ll be here, Aloha.” Aloha slowly nodded before he cuddled into the pillows falling asleep. Skull soon left the room and back to the living room where he saw Mask asleep on the couch and Army on the chair. ‘ _Were they tired as well?_ ’ Skull thought before heading towards the guest room. Taking off his shoes and Bandana, he crawled into bed before falling asleep, the stars twinkling in the night sky outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s almost the end


End file.
